The lion and the lamb
by koese
Summary: Ayla Bint La'Tarik is a beautiful young woman who is taken in by the Levantine Assassins in Masyaf after her father's death. There she meets the assassin Altair who behaves hostile. Will the heart of the lion melt? And what does she have to do with a piece of eden? Accompany her as she discovers the secrets that may destroy the world. Altair/OC
1. Captivity

If I knew everything about Altair Ibn La'Ahad from the beginning, would I have thought differently? Maybe I would not have labeled him directly as a self-righteous, arrogant young man or thought as low about him like I did for a while. I doubt it, but I regret my missteps, though he had hurt me more than once.

"Wake up!", a rough deep voice woke me from my restless sleep. I blinked up into the face of a soldier and stifled a yawn.  
"Would you finally stand up, you little brat.", he hissed and stepped into my stomach to strengthen his words. I groaned slightly with pain and doubled over.  
The man grabbed me roughly by the arms and pulled me to my feet with a jerk. Luckily my legs were not asleep; otherwise I would have surely fallen to the ground again.  
Mercilessly the man dragged me through the cell in which I had slept for the last week.

I tripped and hit my knee hard on the floor.  
Without paying attention to me, the man went on and my legs were dragged across the floor. I was already sore when I managed to get back on my feet, which was not easy when you don't have your hands for help..  
The dungeon in which my cell was, was dark, damp and also kind of scary. I looked through the many cells that were nearly all occupied, and saw a wounded man. He looked as if they had tortured him more than one time.  
Despite my current situation, in captivity of the Templars, I was deeply relieved that I had not been treated the way these poor wounded people were.  
After a while I was led through a stone corridor, where the man stopped in front of a large wooden door and knocked.  
Hearing a "come inside" the guard threw the door open and pushed me inside a great room. I stumbled and fell to the ground in front of a heavily-armed man.  
I looked up slowly into the man's face. His head was bald, and his brown eyes fixed me. He crossed his arms over his chest, where a big red cross emblazoned.  
"What's your name?" He asked with a deep voice. I hesitated.  
"Answer." He said loudly, and I jumped.  
"Ayla." I answered a little intimidated. This man made a very wealthy impression on me.  
He grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me to my feet and yet I was still a head shorter than he was.  
Still the man stared at me. I avoided his eyes and looked at my feet. The Templar grabbed my chin and I could no longer avoid his eyes. I made up my courage and bid his piercing gaze defiance with my own unwavering glance.  
"Ayla. What shall I do with you? "He said, baring his teeth in a comical attempt to grin.  
"Let me go." I replied. The man began to laugh.  
"Well, I cannot do that, as you might know." He said. My heart sank lower and lower. What did I ever do to this man that I was here, held against my will.  
"Why not? I have not done anything to you. "I asked desperately.  
"Your father had sympathies with the Assassins. And assassins are my enemies. If I let you go now, these dogs will find and interrogate you for information about our Order. "He said and smiled apologetically.  
"My father is dead I have nothing to do with Assassins." I explained.  
"This is why I will not have you executed. Your face is far too gorgeous. No, I have something better planned for you. "He laughed and I felt queasy. Something about his emphasis on the word "better" had me deeply disturbed.  
The soldier that brought me here laughed loudly behind me.  
"What if I may ask?"  
"Do you know Tamir? His wife died recently. He needs a new one. ", the man explained. My heart skipped a beat. Of course! Who didn't know him? The well-known black-marketeers, who created the Templar weapons.  
"You want to marry me to a dealer?" I screamed in panic. The man's hand darted to my cheek, and the solid bang echoed through the room. I gasped and held my aching cheek.  
"Do not dare to shout at me again stupid brat! Yes, you will go to Tamir and he will take you. You should be happy; with this pretty face you will probably be treated honorably. "He said and gave me a further disapproving look.  
I remained silent. At the moment I was too confused and shocked to talk.  
"Tomorrow you shall bring Tamir the girl and give him greetings from Robert de Sable." He ordered the soldier, who nodded and brought me back to the cell.  
I sat in the darkest corner and pulled my legs to my chin.

The next day I was not woken up less coarse, the only difference was that my eyes were bounded with a piece of cloth. Apparently they did not like that I could see the oh so beautiful fortress.  
They pulled me and I followed them blindly. After a while I heard the voices of other people and assumed that we were now in some busy street.  
Then the soldiers took off my blindfold and I realized that we were in the marketplace in the poor district of Damascus.  
A little further on I saw the black market dealer, who looked around, surrounded by his guards, a little nervous before his eyes found me and his mouth twisted into a nasty smile.  
The soldiers shoved me toward him and lastly took hold of my upper arms.  
"Let go," I shouted at the guards, and fought my way out of their grips.  
Tamir began to laugh. "A really nice thing you are. Men would buy you for a horde of money." He said, raising his hand to sweep across my cheek.  
I spat at his face and glared at him as angry as I could.  
"But you're still a little wild. We must change that don't we? ", he said and got rid of the spit in his face. In his place I would have been disgusted, but well, he was probably accustomed to that.  
"Say something girl. Let's see if your voice is just as beautiful. "  
"Touch me again and I promise you, I scratch your eyes out with my bare hands." I hissed, but the man did not take my warning seriously.  
"Your voice would be far better without these empty threats." He said, nodding to his guards, who took me away from the Templars.  
The Templars turned around and went the same route back they had probably come.  
"Let's go men." Tamir said, and went ahead with the other two guards. But they did not get far, because all of a sudden a knife pierced the back of the one guard in front of me and the man fell to the ground lifeless.  
The guards who were holding me loosened their grip and drew their swords.  
From the corner of my eye I saw something flash white and then the man behind me lay bleeding on the floor. His neck was a gaping wound that didn't stop bleeding, even when the body's eyes gazed into the air rigidly. A huge pool of blood was spreading that slowly got closer to my feet.  
I made a disgusted grimace and could not help but to look at the mangled corpse. When I looked up again, there were two more corpses around me and I saw the person who had killed these men.  
Clearly, it was an Assassin. I noticed it in the white robe and pulled low hood. There were several throwing knives across his weapon belt and a scabbard of a short sword hung at his side.  
He moved so unnaturally fast and broke the defensive guards within seconds.  
Finally, he threw himself on Tamir and yanked him to the ground while I was standing around as if rooted and watched the action wide-eyed.  
I saw Tamir's mouth moving, but I could not even hear fragments of the conversation between the two men.  
From the left hand of the assassin a blade stepped out and he pushed it in the neck of the dealer who then died in the arms of the white-robed man.  
The assassin got to his feet and turned to me now.  
Because of the deep-drawn hood I could only see his serious clenched mouth and nose; everything else was in shadows.  
Slowly, he came up to me and I realized how proud and upright he held himself. Threatening, he towered himself over me and I had to put my head slightly in my neck to look where I guessed his eyes were.  
"Are you Ayla Bint La'Tarik?" He asked with a very pleasant deep voice. I held my breath and nodded quickly. This man was frightening as hell. I do not know, but he had an aura that radiated downright menace.  
"Come with me." He said. I shook my head. Never in my life would I go with a stranger, even if it was an Assassin.  
"That was an order." He growled, grabbed my wrist and pulled me along behind him.  
Meanwhile, the city alarm went off and a horde of guards ran straight for the bodies.  
"Let me go," I screamed and tried to shake his hand off, but he did not listen.  
He quickly pushed me into a dark, lifeless alley and pressed his hand on my mouth.  
"My mission is to kill Tamir and bring you to Masyaf alive. You will not stop me, even if I have to carry you there. Do you understand me? "he hissed, and I just nodded.  
"I-I uh why?" I asked hesitantly. The assassin shrugged.  
"How should I know. Al Mualim wanted it that way. "He said, crossing his arms over his chest. I remembered the old man who had visited my father from time to time. Although I had not seen him for years, he was regularly until a few weeks ago writing a letter to my father. He had even been so polite and nice to me, asking in a letter how I was doing, after he learned about my father's death. Several times he had told me to come to Masyaf, but I always refused.  
Without another word, the Assassin took hold of my hand again and walked through the crowds.  
"It would be much faster over the rooftops, stupid brat. "I heard him murmur softly. Hello? It wasn't my fault! Just because he couldn't walk through a street like normal person!

The assassin was getting faster and pulled me accordingly, and more violent, so that I eventually stumbled and fell to the ground.  
A few guards who were standing near us, got aware of me and recognized the assassin.  
"Assassin!" the guards shouted with drawn swords and ran towards us.  
"Incompetent woman," the Assassin hissed and lifted me to my feet, roughly gripping my shoulder. He drew his sword as well and stood in front of me to fight the men.  
"The girl! Take the girl. He protects her. " one of the guards exclaimed and separated himself from the fight and to approach me with a menacing grin. With wide eyes, I noticed how he raised his sword and I looked for a weapon frantically, but I was unfortunate. There was no weapon to be seen.  
I moved backwards slowly, but slammed against a wall with my back. The soldier approached me grinning and fought my desperate and pathetic blow off.  
With his right hand he reached around my neck and pulled firmly, pushing me up a few inches. I gasped for air desperately and tried to loosen his grip on my neck, in which I did not succeed in any way.  
Just as I thought I would suffocate, a sword pierced through the man's chest and he slumped to the floor. A little blood splashed on my already dirty clothes and I was immediately overcome by nausea.  
The Assassin wrathfully pulled his sword out of the corpse and turned his eyes to me.

"You are by far the most incompetent woman that I've ever seen and now hurry." He hissed an sheathed his sword again.  
Who was this ass to talk to me like that? I would have liked to tell this wannabe hero my opinion, but the present situation, his angry look and the thought that he had saved my life held me back.  
Without any other incidents we reached the gate and left Damascus with a black horse without being noticed by soldiers.  
Elegantly the Assassin climbed on the horse and pointed behind him.  
"Get on."  
I nodded and not nearly as elegant as the Assassin I tried to fight myself on the horse.

The man sighed and grabbed my arm. Without any effort, he pulled me up and put me behind him.  
"Good-for-nothing" he muttered again.  
"Would you please stop insulting me?" I hissed and noticed how he suddenly tensed.  
"I will, when you start to do something productive." he said, and rode off.  
Although I would have liked to keep as much distance as possible from this arrogant man, I had no choice but to put my arms around his waist. Otherwise I would have certainly fallen down at this pace.  
With every movement the man made, I felt his muscular chest plates under my hands. Unfortunately, I also felt every little weapon he was carrying. Which was not very reassuring, since it was clear that this man did not really like, let alone to bear me.  
And so we silently rode through the desert for an eternity.


	2. Altair and Masyaf

"When will we stop?" I asked loudly, so that the assassin could hear it through the strong wind. My legs ached terribly already, after we had ridden several hours. Also, the sun had almost set and I had not eaten anything yet, let alone drunk.  
"Let me worry about that." The man said gruffly. I rolled my eyes.  
"I was just asking." I replied, but got no answer as I thought.  
Then, finally, when the sun stood low, the Assassin slowed the horse to a trot, and finally completely on hold.  
Nimbly he jumped from his horse and tied it to a nearby palm tree, while I started a pathetic attempt to get off the horse without falling on my butt. Indeed I did quite well until I unfortunately got tangled in a saddle bag and could neither go up nor down.  
The assassin had now walked behind me, watching me mockingly. His grin made me angry and I would have loved to hit him in the face.  
"How is the air up there?" He asked sarcastically, chuckling softly.  
"Instead of those stupid questions, you should help me down." I hissed, and the smile on his face disappeared.  
Annoyed, he swaggered up to me and helped me out of the saddle bag to eventually put his hands on my waist and lift me up.  
When I was freed, he left me to fall in mid-air and I landed hard on my butt. I cried out a little as he released me and glowed at him. If looks could kill, he would have most certainly been dead.  
The assassin didn't seem to notice my anger or ignored me: what I suspected.  
He grabbed a saddle bag and sat down, leaning back against a wall. I sat a few meters across from him and watched how he fished out bread out of his pocket. Involuntarily my mouth began to water. The Templars had given me little and not nearly enough food.  
The Assassin bit into the bread and chewed around. To my relief he left a piece, when he was done and threw it to me without warning.  
I was just able to react in time and close my hands before the small piece of bread tumbled into the dust.  
"Well, at least you're able to catch woman. Congratulations. "He said sarcastically, before he pulled his hood lower and crossed his arms behind his head.  
I silently chewed on the hard bread and enjoyed the feeling of having food in my stomach again.  
After a while I looked back at the assassin and noticed that his chest rose and fell regularly. What I could see of his face was unusually relaxed.  
I stared at the sleeping man next to me and asked myself what he looked like under the hood. My body developed a life of its own and I jumped to my feet as quietly as I could so I could sneak to the Assassins. I squatted down beside him and leaned over him to look under his hood.  
"Would you please be so kind and keep your distance?", The assassin hissed forcing himself to be quiet. I cringed.  
"Excuse me." I mumbled and was burning red.  
I hurried back to my seat and tried to look everywhere, just not to stare at the assassin. I tried to ignore the man, who was staring at me murderously. He seemed about to stab me with a dagger any second now.  
After a while I couldn't hold myself anymore.  
"Why do you wear that hood?"  
"So you cannot see my face." He replied, and I wondered if his face was somehow distorted or something.  
"Because of your enemies?" He nodded.  
"But there are no enemies here."  
"You want me to put down my hood don't you?" embarrassed I nodded. He shook his head and just looked at me annoyed.  
"What is your name?" I asked to change the situation.  
"Why do you want to know?" He replied.  
"Because I care about who sits in front of me."  
"Altair." He gave in reluctantly. From somewhere I'd heard the name before. I think it was in some letter from Al Mualim to my father.  
"It is a pleasure to meet you Altair." I said gently, holding out my hand politely.  
He eyed me suspiciously and nodded, but didn't shake my hand.  
"Unfortunately I do not share that joy." He said. Annoyed I dropped my hand. What kind of problem did this Altair actually have? Could he not be polite like a normal person?  
Then I noticed the big gun belt Altair wore. Could you not recognize at the gun belt, what a rank an Assassin had? This man was definitely not a plain assassin; that I recognized.  
"How old are you?", It slipped out of me before I could control it. That was rude of me. Man that was embarrassing. Now he must have been thinking that I was trying to court him.  
"Too old for you." He said and confirmed my guess.  
"No, I did not mean it the way you think. I've just noticed that you are a relatively young assassin, who apparently has a high ranking. That's why I asked. "I explained myself, but he remained silent.  
"Twenty-five." Altair replied a few minutes later.  
"What?" I said and turned to him. I definitely didn't expect a answer.  
"You asked for my age. I'm twenty-five. "He said.  
"Um ... Thanks for the answer." I thanked him and we were silent again. Altair seemed to be a man of few words and I did not want to upset him any more than he already seemed.  
When the sun finally set completely and we were plunged into darkness, so that I could only dimly see my hand in front my eye, Altair rummaged a blanket from one of his saddlebags and threw it to me. This time, I was unable to react in time and the rug slapped me in the face.  
"I was wrong. She's as incompetent as I thought. "Altair muttered again. Another comment this kind and I wouldn't be able to hold back a remark.  
"You should sleep." He said, folding his arms behind his head again.  
"I'm not tired." I replied and made him sigh.  
"Go to sleep! At dawn I'll wake you. I do not want to hear you whining. "He hissed, his tone made me obey reluctantly. I lay down on my back and closed my eyes.  
I do not know when, but after a while my mind drifted and I fell asleep.

When I woke up it was still pitch dark. I looked up into the starry sky and watched the passing clouds for a while, before I got up, softly sighing and looked over to Altair, who seemed to be actually sleeping this time.  
I got up and played with the idea to walk around a bit. A short walk wouldn't hurt anyone right?  
With one last look at Altair I walked. I began to walk to the direction in which I saw palm trees growing close together. It seemed like a good place to think about the events that followed.  
I reached the palms, but suddenly had a very bad feeling. For some reason I felt, well, observed.  
A little worried, I decided to go back to Altair, or to run more like it. Suddenly I heard loud footsteps and voices behind me. Someone grabbed me by my wandering long hair and pulled me back. I screamed and fell backwards, right into the open arms of a person.  
I felt the man holding a blade to my throat and sweeping my hair to the side to bare my neck.  
My breath came in gusts and I was terrified when two men with a red cross on the chest appeared in front of my eyes. They grinned and looked at me from top to bottom; Clearly Templars.  
"What kind of business does a pretty woman like you have in the desert?" the Templar whispered and stroked his nose on my neck.  
"Don't touch me." I hissed. The knight laughed and pulled at my hair again. My head fell back and I saw nothing but the sky above me.  
I felt the Templar tugging at my dress to show my bare chest. Hearing the other men laugh, he lowered his lips to my neck.  
"But make it quick. We want her as well. ", one of them said.  
Suddenly the man behind me gasped and let go of me, falling to the ground with a slashed neck.  
Altair had shown up just in time and did not necessarily seem friendly. Enraged, he threw me to the side. I tumbled to the ground gasping and crawled away from the nauseating corpse.  
The Templars drew their swords and rushed to the Assassin.  
"It will give us a lot of fun to take your little friend in front of you Assassin." a Templar scoffed before Altair chased a sword in his body.  
The Last Templar was better than the others, but not good enough for Altair, for even he fell lifeless to the ground a few moments later. I panted and stared at the bloodstained corpses.  
Altair put his sword back in its sheath and came running towards me. He crouched in front of me and grabbed my chin roughly, as I still couldn't stop glancing at the.  
"You foolish woman! Why are you so stupid and walk around in the middle of the night? Can you guess what these bastards would have done to you? "He hissed, pointing to the bodies.  
"Are you alright?" He asked with the softest voice I had heard of him. His voice caused me to look up at him and nod.  
"Come on then." serious again he pulled me to my feet.  
With me in tow, he went back to the horse and sat down on the dusty ground. I took my old seat and pulled my legs to my chin. My view darted to Altair for a second and it caused my eyes to widen.  
"You bleed." I said, pointing to the blood-soiled fabric of his robe on his right arm. Altair bowed his head and seemed to be noticing his injury now.  
"It's nothing. A scratch, nothing more."He said huskily, but again I acted without thinking and crawled to the Assassin. Surprised, he stared at me under his hood, so I was able to take his bleeding arm in  
his amazement.  
"There is dust in your wound. It should be cleaned before it inflames. "I said, reaching for the nearby standing water bottle.  
He tugged at his arm, but I did not let go.  
"Let go of me woman." He hissed.  
"I want to help." I quickly said and cleaned his wound.  
"I do not need your help," he growled and freed his arm.  
"Can't you keep quiet for once?" I asked angrily, earning a dirty look.  
"Didn't your father teach you any manners? A woman has to obey a man, stupid girl.", I ignored his words with difficulty and gritted my teeth.  
"Now get out of my sight at last! With your disability you will only aggravate my injury, pathetic woman! ", after this my patience was wearing thin.  
My fear and respect for him disappeared all of a sudden and I grabbed him by the collar.  
"Nobody talks to me like that! Especially not some arrogant asshole! Apparently no one taught you any courtesy Assassin ", I yelled at him and saw the slightly shocked expression. He shouldn't look so surprised; it was only a matter of time until I exploded.  
Then his expression changed to pure rage and before I could react Altair threw me to the side and pushed me to the ground. His large hands pressed on my shoulders and he leaned forward so that only a few inches separated us. I saw his eyes flash under the hood.  
"I think you have no idea know who stands before you woman!" He hissed.  
"But I know that. A stupid assassin who thinks too highly of himself. "I hissed back just as venomous. I don't remember what was wrong with me, but at that moment I actually forgot who stood before me. Without Al Mualims command this man would have certainly killed me without blinking an eyelid.  
Altair suddenly held a sort of hidden blade and held it to my neck.  
"Shut your mouth girl! Don't you dare to speak in such a tone with me ever again. "He growled.  
" What happens otherwise? You kill me like a coward, because you can't bear true words ", I knew that I had challenged his patience far too much, but l was still not holding back.  
Altair laughed dangerously and stroked my neck with his nose like the Templar before and took in my smell with a deep breath.  
"Something little brats like you can't even imagine." He whispered, pressing his blade a little deeper into my throat until a thin trickle of blood seeped into my dirty clothes. Suddenly it hit me and I realized the greatest mistake I had ever done. I had angered Altair a little too much anger and now he would surely kill me. There was no one here, no one would see it, and no one would hear me.  
"You frighten me Altair." I breathed and looked at his face. Amused he twisted his mouth and I noticed a pale scar that ran along his upper lip.  
"Good." He whispered, putting his hand on my neck.  
I shivered at his touch and my stomach churned.  
Altair pressed his index finger on a soft spot in my neck and I fainted.

When I woke up, I sat on the horse in front of Altair. He had sat me down, leaning against him and had ridden off. This idiot had made me unconscious , whatever he did.  
I could feel his breath on my ear and braced myself. The nearness to this obnoxious man was driving me crazy; for example the feeling that he had his arms around me- even if he did it only because of the reins.  
Altair seemed to notice my discomfort, for I felt his chest rise and fall as if in an silent laughter.  
I narrowed my eyes to thin slits and pierced the air with my dark eyes.

Several hours later Masyaf finally appeared in front of us. It was very different than I had imagined. Masyaf was a huge fortress on rocks that rose majestically and menacingly. The stone fortress radiated a power that impressed me deeply.  
Before the fortress, on the ledge I saw a relatively large village through which we had to ride apparently.  
But if I am to be honest, the first thought in my head when I saw Masyaf was relief to finally get rid of Altair. I suspected he was just as glad.  
We rode through the village and arrived at the fortress within a few minutes, where I sighted men similar to Altair. All of them had blindingly white robes and a hood pulled low over their faces.  
Altair jumped off his horse and lifted me off the saddle without a word. I wanted to protest, as he put his large hands on my hips, but held myself back, since I was actually relieved that I didn't have to embarrass myself in front of all these assassins.  
Altair handed the reins to a boy and walked inside the fortress with a quick glance to me. Most Assassins noticed me and I even felt a few curious glances in my back.  
An assassin came straight up to us.  
"The master awaits you and your companion." He hesitated at my mention, but praised me no attention.  
"Then out of the way Abbas." Altair hissed hostile. So he behaved so incredibly rude to others as well.  
Altair pushed the Assassin called Abbas aside and strode on. Slightly taken aback, I followed him, earning a glare from Abbas. Oh no, another one of who doesn't like me from the start. Why did he make me responsible for Altair's behavior? How could I have anything to do with it?  
Without any other incidents I ran after Altair and noticed that most of the assassins kept as much distance from him as possible, but he did not seem particularly sad. From what I knew about him I could guess that he was not the social type.  
After a while, we reached an area where very many assassins were stationed. Probably because the Grand Master of the Order lived here, and indeed, I was right.  
The guards nodded and let us enter. Altair went ahead and I followed.  
Confused I looked around. There was no one inside. I almost wanted to ask Altair about it when I saw a man standing at the window.  
"Master" Altair said and the man turned to us with arms clasped behind his back. I had seen the old man on the previous visits to my father.  
Altair drew a bloody feather from his robes and put it on the table with a slight bow to the master, but the Master ignored him anyway. His eyes were on me, and his face was serious and made me feel uncomfortable.  
I bowed respectfully, and looked up again. With slow steps, he came up to me and then stopped right in front of me.  
A broad friendly smile spread across his face and he hugged me tight. Shocked as I was, I could do nothing more than let the man hug me. I searched for Altair, who was just as surprised, if not a whole bit more.  
The old man with the white beard pushed me back and grinned at me.  
"How relieved I am that you're unhurt and well. I feared Altair would be too late. " the Master said. Altair snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "My missions are all successful.". The Grand Master ignored him.  
"You look like your mother child." He said thoughtfully, looking at my face.  
"I guess so Master." I replied.  
"You poor child never met her, I forgot. She was an amazing woman. "He said with a rueful smile.  
"Probably ." So that was already a little funny. This man, who had previously given me little attention, when my father lived, sent me letters after his death, an assassin who rescued from captivity and brought here. He greeted me with a fatherly hug and spoke about my already long dead mother. Did I miss something?  
"She also had your green eyes, but unlike her smooth black hair, you have brown curls. I suspect your father is responsible for this. "He said, and seemed to talk rather with himself than with me.  
"May I go now master, or am I still of use?" Altair spoke, who had overheard the conversation in silence.  
"One moment Altair."  
"The death of your father hurt me incredible and I cannot imagine how you must feel. It gave me a terrible headache to hear you in captivity, but now you are here, unhurt, and therefore let us forget the past. You are welcome in Masyaf child and I'll try to give the daughter of one of my closest friends a good life and treat you as if you were my own child. " the old man declared. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Altair's chin drop.  
I myself was too surprised to answer. A slight nod was the only thing I could manage.  
"Altair."  
"Yes, Master?", he quickly caught himself and tore his eyes away from me.  
"Until I give you your next mission, you'll take care of our lovely Ayla and show her around, so that she may feel at home." The master said smiling.  
"What?" Altair and I called simultaneously. Frantically we looked at each other. Neither of us wanted to spend another minute with the other, and now we should stay together for an unknown period of time?  
"I will not play nanny for a little brat! She should learn to get along by herself! "Altair shouted angrily.  
"You will do as I say Altair. Whether you like it or not, "the Master said quietly.  
"No I will not! I'm an assassin. Not a maid. " Altair hissed and defiantly crossed his arms over his chest.  
"How many more times must I degrade you until you begin to obey? How many of your brothers have to die? Tell me, " the old master cried. Altair turned silent.  
"I have told you before that you need to menial work as a novice. You must fight your old rank back, do you understand me? You should be happy to spend time with an adorable young woman instead of cleaning up the barn with a pitchfork. " wait a second, Altair was demoted? What had he done so to be degraded to a novice?  
"And now get out of my sight and show Ayla her room." The old man said.  
Without another word, Altair stalked out of the living area of the master. I followed him a little nervous. Should I stay here, or follow him?  
"Ehm Altair", I began, but abruptly Altair turned to me and I almost ran against him.  
"Shut up and just follow me." he hissed and ran off again. He was definitely angrier, than the other two times together.  
After a while we arrived at a corridor with several chambers. Altair stopped at a door and opened it, with his clenched fist he let me enter.  
Surprised, I looked at the really big room. A beautiful Persian carpet in the middle of the room was surrounded a large two-person bed, a wardrobe, a desk and a huge window that led to a balcony.  
Suddenly, I was grabbed by the shoulder and pushed against the wall. The force beat the air out of my lungs.  
Altair leaned closer and grabbed my chin with his rough hand.  
His shaven cheek brushed my own and my neck as he breathed deeply again. My heart was beating incredibly fast and I stood frozen against the wall.  
His hot breath tickled me and I shuddered, as he put his mouth very close to my right ear.  
"I do not know why, but the Master seems to get pleasure from you. Let yourself be told, I do not share that opinion. "He whispered.  
"Why do you dislike me? What have I done to you? "I asked, panting.  
He smirked. "You're wrong. I hate you even. Because of you, woman, I get my mission several weeks later, and that because I have to play your nanny. "He whispered, stroking a loose curl behind my ear.  
"I am not responsible for the commands of your Master.", I answered, but Altair ignored me.  
"I will warn you only once. I will definitely not run after you like a servant and take care of everything. Do you understand me? "He hissed. I nodded.  
"Got it?" He growled again and pressed himself even more against me that it almost hurt.  
"Yes. I understood. Please let me go. You're hurting me Altair. ", I said in a shaky voice. He laughed without actually laughing and left without showing me anymore attention.


	3. Malik Al Sayf

**Chapter 3**

"Wake up, woman!", I was awakened from sleep to a deep voice. I babbled a few unintelligible words, and rolled over on my back without opening my eyes.  
Suddenly I felt something cold and sharp against my cheek, which made throw my eyes open. With a cry, I noticed that a knife was stuck in the mattress right beside my head. I jumped off the bed, but unfortunately I got tangled in the blankets and fell right in front of Altair's feet.  
He roughly grabbed me by the hair and pulled me up.  
"Next time you better stand up immediately." He warned me and left the room. Still struggling with a pounding heart I rubbed my aching head. First he came to my room, then he stabbed me almost and even pulled me painfully by my hair! What was wrong with this man?  
Barely a minute later, he reappeared in the doorway and threw me a bunch of stuff in the face.  
"Put this on. In five minutes I'll be back. If you're not ready to go then, you get no breakfast. ", with these words, he slammed the door shut and I heard his retreating footsteps.  
After my beating heart calmed down, I looked at the clothes in my hand. The clothes he had given me were nothing special, a white tunic and a white loose robe. But I could not really complain at the moment, after all, it was the cleanest clothes I had worn in the past week.  
I dressed quickly and continued on my hair. Desperately I tried to tame my unruly hair and combed through in vain. I needed a bath because I could feel the dirt and literally imagine the dead animals in it, even if I probably overdid it.  
Then again there was a knock at the door and Altair stormed inside. He looked at me from top to bottom and sighed for some reason.  
"What are you storming in here? I could have been naked, "I grumbled and braced my hands on my hips.  
"I knocked on the door if you have forgotten woman." He said unmoved and shrugged.  
I sighed and dropped the subject again, since I didn't want to encounter another animal like Altair.  
Without another word, he stormed out of the room and I had to run to keep up with him.  
After a while we reached a large hall in which only a huge table was placed. Most of the seats were already occupied by assassins. Within a few seconds and a few glances, I realized that I was the only woman in the room at the moment.  
"Wait here." Altair ordered and walked to the master, who was sitting on a higher chair at the other end of the table.  
He just spoke a few words with the old man and came back with a scowl. With a nod over his shoulder he told me to follow him, which I did without batting an eyelid.  
Altair led me to Al Mualim's left side and pushed me into the chair roughly. Then he walked past me and sat down at Al Mualims right side, directly across from me.  
"Peace children. Calm down," the master shouted and silenced the assassins in their conversations.  
The old master leaned over to me and put his hand flat on my shoulder, while smiling.  
"Since yesterday, as you might know, there is a young woman in our ranks. Her name is Ayla and is under our and my protection. Please don't behave like a horde of hungry wolves, so that the child can settle in Masyaf as soon as possible. "the master said, making me turn red almost immediately. Dozens of eye pairs were on me and pierced me with their scrutiny. The men began to whisper, but I could already imagine what they were talking about.  
The old man began to eat and the other assassins followed his example. I hesitated. Would it be rude if I started to eat without being asked?  
"How about you make a plate for the lovely girl Altair my son?" Al Mualim said with a piece of bread in his mouth.  
"The girl has hands of her own does she not?" Altair replied and stared at me furiously under his hood.  
"Altair, be quiet! Not in front of your brothers. " Al Mualim warned with a low voice.  
"No master, really, I can do this myself." I tried to defuse the situation and grabbed the fruit plate.  
"Ayla my child, Altair has to learn to treat you guests and especially you with a little respect." The Master said lovingly and put my hand back to the table edge.  
"Altair, I'm waiting." he hissed, but Altair still did not move. Few of the assassins next to us turned silent and observed the incident. Some laughed and hoped that Altair would get a penalty.  
"No! I'm not going to play a servant for some stupid woman! "Altair said loudly and the last Assassin turned to us.  
"You will clean the stables today and now get out of my sight!" Al Mualim growled, but Altair would not be told twice anyways. With deafening noise, he stood up and pushed his chair to the floor.  
With one last murderous glance at me, he stalked out of the room and I watched him until he was no longer visible.  
Great, now Altair had one more reason to hate me. After all, he was not the person who would really understand that I really could not help Al Mualim's reaction. He would probably push the blame on me.  
The Master and I ate our fruit in silence, but I noticed that he was incredibly angry. I felt really uncomfortable, as all eyes seemed to be glued on me.  
When the master got up and finally disappeared, I was relieved. I had never had a situation as unpleasant as now. What were they staring at me as if I was the main attraction in this fortress.  
I was one of the last to leave the dining room and stepped in a small courtyard. Unfortunately I was not paying attention when I had come here with Altair, which meant, that I couldn't find my way back to my, and I did not think Altair, as angry as he was, would show up again, just to bring me back.  
With a sigh, I sat down on a bench and rested my hands on my lap.  
The sun shone down on me relentlessly as ever and heated everything that got in its way. I would have given anything to be able to sit somewhere under a shadow, but no, I was stuck with this uncomfortable bench.  
After a while I just closed my eyes and leaned against the stone wall, which donated a little cool at least.  
"A really hot day today, is it not?" a male voice suddenly said next to me, but it didn't sound like Altair. I opened my left eye and saw an assassin who had silently sat down beside me.  
"Yes, definitely too hot." I replied, stroking a bead of sweat from my forehead.  
"I am Malik Al Sayf. But you can call me Malik. "He said gently, holding out his hand. I took it and shook it.  
"I'm ..." I began, but Malik interrupted me with a smile.  
"Ayla Bint La'Tarik. I know. "He said, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Then I laughed.  
"How do you know that?"  
"The entire fortress is talking about you," he smiled back warmly.  
"Like what?" I asked curiously.  
"Oh, few things." He grinned.  
"And you came here to see if it's true talk?" I asked with a slight smile. He shrugged and clasped his right arm behind his head.  
"No, honestly I could not let a beautiful young woman sit alone on a bench." He said and gave me a warm smile. I turned red a little and quickly looked away from his face. Unlike Altair, he didn't have his hood on. Altair was seemingly the only one who even had his hood on in freetime.  
Malik was a handsome man with short, thick, black hair. His eyebrows were thick as well, but well-formed and as dark as his hair. He had dark brown, almost black eyes. His aquiline nose was big and probably the one that every man in this country had. His lips were framed by a light three-day beard that matched his face shape.  
"Why do you sit here all alone?" Malik said after a while of silent sitting.  
"Well, to be honest, it was the first place after the dining room I found.", I said  
"Unfortunately, you've found the boring part of the fortress." He said.  
"Better than nothing. I just hope that Altair reappears sometime, so I can finally find my room. I don't remember the way anymore. "I said a little embarrassed. I felt incredibly young and helpless. A girl who was taken in by a fortress full of assassins and who had no idea where to go.  
"Altair," Malik said, suddenly tense and hard, with hostility in his voice. Surprised, I looked up at him.  
"Yes. The master Al Mualim told him to show me the fort a little bit so I would be able to get along by myself. "I said, noting how he narrowed his eyes to slits.  
"Then where is he?"  
"Altair and the Masters had a little discussion at breakfast. Altair just stormed off after that." I replied. Malik snorted.  
"That idiot doesn't know how to obey." He muttered, shaking his head.  
"Do you know him well?", I asked with interest. Maybe Malik could tell me why Altair was so hostile. Then I could also find a way to get along with him without him freaking out immediately.  
"No." he answered quickly and choppy. I noticed that he was lying, but I did not say anything. I only knew him for a few minutes, and even though we clearly got along quite well, I did not want to get rid of the first kind person.  
"I would bring you to your room, but I do not know where Al Mualim has placed you." He said with a wary smile.  
"Thank you. I'll just wait until Altair comes along. Then I'll cling to him until he brings me to my room. "I joked and laughed. Malik's company was far better than Altair's. With that stupid assassin I felt threatened every other second.  
"Shall I tour you around a little? You'll wait a lifetime for Altair to do it. "He said, looking at me from the side.  
"That would be unbelievably nice. But only if it makes doesn't make you any trouble. "I said and nodded very pleased.  
"It would be a honor.", he laughed and jumped to his feet. I followed and smiled at him.  
He was greater than Altair, quite muscular and a head taller than me. When my eyes fell to his lower body, my smile died and my eyes widened.  
Malik was missing his left arm and only a short stump remained. He noticed my stare and his grin disappeared.  
"How did this happen?" I asked without thinking and regretted it when I saw Malik's tortured face.  
"A mission went wrong." He muttered, not looking me in the eye. I watched as he bit his lip.  
"I'm sorry." I said and bowed my head.  
"What are you sorry for Ayla?" He asked surprised.  
"I ... well ... I mean ... I feel with you Malik. It must not be easy. "I stuttered and did not really know what to say. It really did make me feel bad, that he only had one arm left.  
"Thank you. I appreciate that. "He said sincerely, and his smile appeared again.  
"Now let's go. Otherwise we'll beat roots. "Malik laughed and nodded at me.  
We walked through the entire fortress and he showed me everything. Just as I thought that there was nothing more to see, he surprised me with something new. At the end of his tour, he showed me Al Mualims garden, which was by far the best attraction at Masyaf.  
It was a green garden, with all sorts of plants and flowers with different colors. The grass was clipped regularly and seemed healthy and moist. In Damascus, I had never seen grass in my entire childhood. It was pretty rare that anything other than a palm tree was growing near the desert.  
I looked around and saw a statue in the middle of the square. Slowly I walked up to it and stared at it.  
"Who is that?" I asked Malik, who was watching me, rather than the statue.  
"Al Mualim once told me that it showed Minerva." He replied. I turned my gaze back to the statue. It was a beautiful woman, who was holding some object I could not name in her hands.  
"The woman looks a little like you." Malik said after a moment, looking back and forth between me and the statue. Was that a compliment or what? I just kept my mouth shut; I wouldn't have known what to say anyways.  
We went ahead and finally left the garden.  
"Where do you come from originally?" Malik said.  
"Damascus. I lived there for the last 17 years. "I replied.  
"You're 17?" Malik asked, obviously surprised.  
"Almost 18. Why?" I laughed.  
"Um ... Well, I would have judged you a little older."  
"What do you mean?" I joked, noting how Malik was trying his best to say the right thing.  
"I meant ... well ... how to say it…" He began, and I released him from his predicament.  
"It's okay." I waved and looked around again.  
"Where do you come from?", I asked him curiously.  
"Until I was 3 I lived in Jerusalem, and the last 22 years here in Masyaf." He replied. Malik was thus 25 years. Altair was just as young. Why? Why did I had to compare every assassin with that ma?  
"That's a long time. What did you do here as a child? I didn't see a lot of children in the fortress. "I said with a smile.  
"I know, but I could already begin to train at young age. In the entire castle there is only one who has become an assassin younger than me. "He said slightly proud.  
"When did you become an assassin?"  
"At seventeen."  
"And the youngest?"  
"Altair completed at sixteen" He answered reluctantly and chose not to speak about it any further.  
After a while we arrived at a large courtyard where the young novices trained. We watched them for a while, and I sometimes had to suppress a giggle when a novice fell, while Malik did nothing to hide his laughter.  
"You have fun than?" a voice asked beside me and I was surprised to see Altair.  
"While you had to muck out the stables novice, I have taken the liberty to show Ayla around a bit something so that she doesn't have to suffer because of your disability." Malik said with a murderous glance. I noticed a couple of nasty brown marks on his white robe. I retreated a few feet after guessing where they might have come from.  
"You can have the woman Malik. She's getting on my nerves anyway. "He said.  
"How can I get on your nerves? I've never done anything, "I said, taken aback. For the first time in the last minute, he praised me a quizzical look.  
"Your mere presence annoys me brat." Altair hissed and poked me into the shoulder with his index finger. Malik was suddenly so dangerously still, and his fist was clenched so tightly that his hand was white and pale..  
"I have to do something Ayla. I'll see you later. " Malik said, and then disappeared immediately. Oh great, now I was alone with this bastard.  
"Would you please bring me to my room?" I asked gently.  
"Can't you go there alone"  
"I forgot the way, I apologize."  
"Be careful that you don't lose your head somewhere," he scoffed, and I was beginning to lose patience.  
"Please."  
"No."  
"You want to go muck horse manure again? Maybe your robe will be completely brown then, "I hissed and realized that I had gone too far, but at least I achieved what I wanted. Altair struck the path angrily, and went a little too fast for my taste, but at least he took me to my room.  
On the way I tried to memorize each turn, so that I didn't have to depend on Altair ever again.  
When we finally reached the room, I wasn't surprised that Altair pushed me against the wall.  
"You know, I really do not understand what men find attractive in you." He said and looking at my face. His sentence in itself did not bother me, but that he could stare at me, while I didn't know how he looked like did.  
"What?" I asked, puzzled. I thought he was back with this "I am the Lord" and that he would forbid me to ever talk to him like that again.  
"I mean you are not necessarily the best thing, and you are incompetent and stupid," he insulted me. I am not beautiful, well, I can live with that, but I am neither stupid nor incompetent.  
"What are you thinking you stupid arrogant ass! I do not know how you look, but your character is the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life! Just because some do not meet your ideal you do not have to float in the air, "I yelled and pushed him out of my room in his surprise.  
With an angry snort, I threw myself on the bed and crossed my arms over my chest.


	4. Colorful bruises

The next morning I woke up before Altair arrived. The sun was just rising and dipped my room in golden light. I opened my window and stepped onto the balcony to enjoy the view. Curious, I looked down and saw a couple of clever novices who already committed to do their everyday work and workouts.  
With one last look I turned around and went back into the room. I quickly grabbed a new white dress and changed in front of the door as a precaution. Altair had stormed in once, so who's to say he would not do it again.  
So I changed as fast as I could and went out to the hallway. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it.  
Although I had really tried to memorize the way, I couldn't remember a bit. It was better to wait here for Altair, than to make a pilgrimage through the entire fortress and run into an angry assassin.  
Fortunately, I did not wait too long for Altair, because suddenly the door opened before me, and no other than Altair walked out.. My jaw dropped open. The thought of Altair so close beside me didn't really reassure me. How could it be that, in this huge fort I got a room exactly next to him? That's what I call bad luck.  
"Shut your mouth." Altair said as grumpy as ever.  
"Come." He said, and stalked off. I rolled my eyes and followed him.  
"Altair"  
"Yes", he sounded really grumpy.  
"Is there somewhere I could quickly wash myself?", I asked, hoping for a yes.  
"Yes." I smiled. This simple answer made me want to jump in the air with joy.  
"Can you take me there?", I quickened my pace to walk alongside him and look at him from the side. In addition to his graceful steps I felt like a clumsy duck.  
"No." he said flatly. My smile faded and I stopped. Why the hell wouldn't he help me now?  
"Why not?"  
"Because a naughty brat like you does not belong in the washroom of the men," he hissed, peering down at me.  
"Can't you make an exception please?, "I asked, but he did not seem to notice.  
"Come on Altair. I just need a quick dip! "I pleaded, reaching for Altair's arm to hold him back.  
"Don't touch me" he growled and slapped away my hand. I leaned forward to look under his hood and put on my best puppy face. But as I had feared, such move did not work on men like Altair.  
"shower in the rain for all I care," Was this man kidding me? In this country it rained maybe, if things went well, 10 days out of 365!  
"So you say I should wait until the rains come? Like three months? "I asked incredulously. I hoped that he would begin to laugh and tell me it was a joke, but he was serious.  
"Do whatever you want woman, but leave me alone. What have I to do with it? "He said, folding his arms across his chest.  
"If I stink, you will suffer just as much as I do!"  
"I do not care." He shrugged. I raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh, really.", I remarked.  
"Even more repulsive you cannot be." He commented. My mouth fell open again. He had not just said that right? How could a human being behave so disgusting?  
"You should wash yourself sometimes, women find stinking men disgusting!"  
"And men find woman with small breast ugly.", He said, pointing at me. Instinctively, I looked down at myself and was instantly turning red. What did this ass actually want? My bust size was more than enough!  
"You are by far the most disgusting man I have ever seen in my life!" I snapped.  
"Thank you. That's the nicest thing I've heard in a long time, "he scoffed and sneered.  
"I think so too." I muttered and it was true.  
"Is there a lake somewhere around here?" I asked, trying to calm my breathing and tried to bring myself under control. Altair looked at me for a moment, then nodded.  
"Where?"  
"A few minutes from the village." He said finally, and my hopes built up again.  
"I'll go to the lake, whether you come along or not," I said and walked past him, but of course not without a bit of bumping into him.  
"Watch it," he snapped at me, but I ignored him. But of course I stopped and twisted my face. I turned around and looked back at Altair.  
"Would you please tell me the way to the village?"  
"No." he said.  
"I have no desire to talk, taking you there is faster." He said, just as I wanted to protest . With a smile, I followed him. He helped me, that was a start. We might even be able to compromise and survive without having to kill each other.

Completely exhausted and dripping with sweat, I finally reached the lake. The asshole had lied! A few minutes, yeah! I had been traveling for at least an hour, in this unbearable heat.  
Quickly I found a shady spot on the lake and surveyed my surroundings. The lake was surrounded by trees and rocks. On the horizon I could see a sharp hill, the white at the top of the mountain was snow. All in all it was really nice and soothing.  
Sighing, I took off my dress. I let my undergarment on. Who knows, maybe someone would come here, and the person should not really see me naked.  
I approached the slightly foamy blue water and dipped my burning feet in the beautiful cold wetness.  
With a pleased smile I entered and waded through the water until it came to my thigh. I dipped my hands and collected liquid. I threw the water into my face and finally a popped my head underwater. As well as I could I washed away the dirt in my hair, on my arms and on my face.  
When I was done with cleaning, I swam out a little, until I no longer felt ground under my feet. Skillfully I swam back and forth for a change, enjoying the coolness.  
I looked to the shore and saw a person who looked suspiciously like Altair, even though I only saw it because of the robe.  
Stunned, I swam back and reached the shore after a few seconds and stepped out of the water.  
"Altair, what brings you over here?", I asked, turning away from him to dry my hair.  
"I wanted to see if you are still alive. I see you are. "  
"Very funny." I muttered and walked past him to sit under the shade of the tree.  
He looked out on the water for a while until he came up to me. "May I?", he said. I nodded. He leaned against the tree next to me and stared at the lake again.  
"You can swim?" He finally asked after a while. I looked at him from the side. What kind of question was that? He had seen me swim.  
"Yes." I said nonetheless. Something was different in his voice. It suddenly hit me. "You can not swim?" I asked loud and amazed. He looked at me and seemed to consider a suitable snappy answer, but then left it with a quiet "No"  
I do not know why, but I felt bad. He seemed slightly sunken and not the Altair I knew. And to be honest, I liked the more common Altair.  
"But its not that bad. I mean, a lot of people cannot swim. "He did not answer.  
I leaned against the tree and closed my eyes. The sun was shining on my closed eyelids and heated them.  
After a while I opened my eyes again and noticed that Altair also had his eyes closed. To my surprise the assassin had removed his hood!  
Inconspicuously I studied his face and had to admit that he was really a good-looking young man. His dark brown hair was short on his head and slightly undulated. His nose did not have that typical eagle form but just well a perfect one. He had a prominent chin and in the sunlight, his pale scar appeared on the lip even more. It seemed like the only blemish on his whole face.  
I could not take my eyes from him, even as he opened his amber eyes and looked in my direction. Our eyes met, and as much as I wanted to turn away I did not succeed. His eyes didn't let me.  
Then he pulled his mouth to a mocking smile and I turned away with a blush on my face. I tried to ignore the soft chuckle beside me, but I did not really manage well, because I found that deep voice more than pleasant.

Chapter 6  
The two days after that went off without a major incident. Of course, Altair was grumpy and still gave me the blame for the delay of his mission, he told me very clearly with his insults.  
Added to this was that every time I looked at him, even if he was wearing a hood, I had to look away embarrassed and felt myself blushing slightly. I cursed him for taking off his hood! I have to admit he was the handsomest man I had ever seen, which only made things worse. He fascinated me, but disgusted me all the same. I was happy that Altair had not spoken a word to me the last days. From time to time we ran into each other but he just stalked on without giving me even a glance. After a while I felt stupid, when I greeted him and only got a grim look back.  
So finally I sat alone in the Garden of the Master, and lay in the grass. I had my arms at my sides, staring at the sky. There was no one beside me or so I thought, because without hearing or seeing anything Altair suddenly appeared beside me.  
"What do you want?" I asked annoyed. His recent insults I had not forgotten. He did not answer.  
"Are you here to insult me again?" I hissed, looking at him. He folded his arms behind his head and looked at the sky too.  
"Are you hurt by my words? I thought you are one of the strong-willed women ", he said, but in a mocking tone. I didn't even notice the little compliment in the sentence.  
"What if I am hurt? Would you apologize to me? "  
"No." he said honestly and I snorted.  
"I hate you." I muttered angrily.  
"I hate you even more." He replied seriously.  
For a while we remained silent and it surprised me that Altair was still beside me.  
"Does it have a reason that you spend your precious time with me?" I finally asked and sat up to look down on him.  
"Why do you ask?"  
"Because I don't understand why you are still here if you hate me that much." I remarked, folding my arms across my chest.  
"Don't get any hopes up. If I had a choice I would already be long gone." He scoffed.  
"Why hope for such an obnoxious man? I'd rather marry a cow, "I said angrily. How did he get the idea I wanted anything from him. "Even a cow would not take such an ugly woman." He muttered, grinning mockingly.  
"Would you kindly stop making fun of my appearance?" I cried and fumed.  
"Why should I?"  
"Because it bothers me maybe?"  
"Your presence bothers me, too, but you brat can't dissolve into air. You can't have everything you want. ," he snapped.  
"I have a name Assassin," I screamed very loudly.  
"I know, but there is a reason why I do not use it."  
"And that is?"  
"I only name people who are smart and strong-willed at the same time. Compared to them, you're half as good. "He said, and I slapped him the face. It clapped and Altair's hand clutched his fiery red cheek.  
His face was a façade of surprise and disbelief. I jumped to my feet.  
"You should be ashamed of yourself Altair! I hope you choke miserably on your own words. "I hissed and spat in the grass in front of him. Then I stalked out of the garden before Altairs mood turned into anger.  
Never, ever in my life would I spend another minute with this pig! No one had spoken to me like this! Not even the guards in the Templar fortress spoke of me as low as Altair did.  
I quickly went to the quarters of the master. My patience was really at the end. Altair was tasked to help me settle in, but the only thing he did was to insult me. I would no longer put up with that!  
I arrived at the great door, and was storming in without thinking, as the guards stood in front of me and shook their head.  
"I really need to speak with the master. Immediately, "I said, my voice must have sounded so dangerous, because the guard went in without further objections and let me enter with a nod as he returned.  
"What can I do for you, my dear child?" The Master asked gently and stood at his regular place.  
"Sorry Master if I'm a little rude, but you have to get rid of this horrible man!"  
"Which man?" He asked.  
"Altair." Who else could it be?  
"He's just a little difficult child. Attempt to deal with it. "  
"This man is tasteless and offensive," I hissed, amazed at how much hostility my voice contained.  
"What has he done Ayla?" the old man asked with a sigh. "  
With fast words I told everything Altair had ever said to me, although I certainly had regrets later, after I had left the old man. The words tumbled out of my mouth uncontrollably. I wanted to get rid of Altair once and for all.  
Finally the master interrupted me and sent me to my room. I wanted to argue, but he warned me with his eyes and I obeyed reluctantly.  
Once in my room, I retreated into my nightgown and went to bed to sleep.

When I woke up that night, Altair stood motionless in front of my bed. With wide eyes, I sat on studying him. He stood stiffly, hands clenched into fists. He did not have his hood on and I could see his face in the moonlight, which wasn't very reassuring, since I could see his furious face.  
"What are you looking for here Altair? Are you not able to sleep, or what? "I asked acidly what had probably been the worst sentence I could say.  
With a huge step he came to the side of my bed and towered over me. My heart began to pound and I got terribly scared. And yet, I was stunned and could not help but lie in bed and stare at his face.  
Suddenly he grabbed me by the collar and pulled me out of bed like a flyweight.  
"You little bitch! You dare to report me?!"He cried uncontrollably. With so much force that it hit the air from my lungs, he threw me against the wall. His hands pressed my throat with so much force that I could hardly breathe. Screaming was impossible in this position and I could do nothing else than wiggling like a worm in the mouth of an eagle. "You know what he told me?" He shouted acting crazy.  
"Do you?" He cried again and shook me. I shook my head as good as I could.  
"I have to read every goddamn desire of your lips or else I will be banned!"  
My heart was beating incredibly fast. What a fool I been. I had acted rashly and now I had the salad. In his place, I would probably react the same way if a girl pulled of something like this. But still, he couldn't strangle me right?  
"What do you say?", He seemed to have calmed down a little, but his eyes seemed the opposite. The amber eyes killed me with their expression.  
"It ... I'm ... sorry." I spoke weary, gasping for air in vain.  
"You should have thought about it before," he growled and squeezed tighter.  
My vision swam before my eyes and I felt dizzy. Everything around me was moving in slow motion and the last thing I saw before I passed out, Altair was angry face.  
Chapter 5  
I did not leave my room the next day. Too much did it scare me to see Altair again. What if he was still pissed off? The thought of his hands on my throat again frightened me enough to spoil my appetite.  
As the sun was high, at about lunchtime, I got up out of bed for the first time. I sighed and threw the blanket aside and put my feet on the cold stone floor. With a jerk I pushed myself off and slowly walked to the small mirror in the room.  
Front of the mirror, I tied my hair into a bun and looked at my neck. Startled, I stared at the colorful bruises, which Altair had caused me. He must have used real force, because I could see his hand print a little under the bruising and swelling of my neck. I lightly stroked over it and winced even with this light touch.  
Just as I was about to lay back down, there was a knock at the door.  
"Who's there?" I asked, afraid to hear Altair, but luckily it was only Malik.  
"Malik, can I come in? "He asked and I heard him leaning against the creaking door.  
"One moment." I cried and quickly loosened my braid to put my thick hair around my neck. Not everyone needed to know about Altair's outburst. In the end he would actually kill me.  
When I finished my hair, I quickly went to the door and let Malik enter.  
I sat down on my bed, while Malik sat down on a chair.  
"Are you well?" He asked a little worried and surprised me. I smiled slightly.  
"Yes. I'm fine. Why? "  
"You were not at breakfast or lunch. Al Mualim's worried about you. "  
"And that's why he sent you Malik?" I asked and put my head slightly askew.  
"Altair was supposed to look if you are alright, but after he had not done it after a few hours, I took on the task."He said, stroking his hair with his only hand. I nodded and waited patiently for his next question.  
"Ayla?"  
"Yes?"  
"Are you happy here?", I looked at him blankly. What question was that? I had expected everything but definitely not that!  
"Yes I am." I lied staring him in the eyes. He looked at me curiously. If he noticed that I was lying, he did not show it.  
I forgot my neck and stroked a part of my hair behind my right ear. When I realized my mistake with wide eyes, it was too late.  
"What do you have on your throat?" Malik asked alarmed.  
"Nothing." I muttered, and I quickly hid my bruising again. But Malik wasn't that easy to shake off. He jumped to his feet and kneeled in front of me.  
Before I could react, he had already put my hair aside, bearing my injury. His mouth fell open, and for a few moments he remained silent.  
"What is that? Who was that? "He said, and stroked his hand over it, as I had done before. I winced again, and he quickly pulled his hand back to his side.  
"Ayla, tell me." he urged.  
"It's nothing. Forget it. "I said softly, avoiding his eyes.  
"Don't tell me it was that bastard Altair!" He growled and I met his eyes with a nervous glance. I noticed the hatred reflecting on his face. I did not answer, but even that seemed to be an answer.  
Malik was saying something as the door was thrown open and Altair appeared in the doorway. He had his hood back on, but I could still see his shocked expression. What was he thinking? Malik was so close to me, not that he suspected something wrong ...  
"I seem to be disturbing." He said and turned to leave.  
Malik jumped to his feet and stormed after Altair before I could stop him.  
Only when Malik put his hand on Altairs shoulder did he stop. Annoyed, he crossed his arms over his chest.  
"What," he grumbled, but he looked at me during the speeches. His eyes were fixed on my colorful neck.  
"Are you totally insane? You attack her? " Malik called and pointed to my neck. Altair's face changed slightly. He seemed unsure. Hardly a second later, he put on his mocking, arrogant mask and smiled condescendingly.  
"The girl has to learn when she has to kindly shut her mouth." He said indifferently, and shrugged. Malik shook his head and seemed unable to speak.  
"Do not look at me so disgusted. I do not care what you think. "He said, addressing me and completely ignoring Malik.  
"It does not bother you that you are despised so much?", I asked. He grinned, showing his white, immaculate teeth.  
"Not at all." He replied.  
"You are lying.", I told him and forced a laugh.  
"That says a little wimp who cannot defend herself." He said, pointing to my wounded neck.  
"It bothers you more than you want to admit Altair. You do not want to be hated, but you are afraid, afraid to remove your proud strong mask. What are your fears? No man can be so heartless Altair, so why the hell are you trying to be such an asshole? "I said quietly and Altair's grin faded and changed back into sheer rage.  
"You have no idea woman," he hissed. I knew that I was right. Although I did not know how I got it, but I was right in my assumption.  
"If it isn't true why are you angry?" I asked. Altair inhaled sharply. His amber eyes were boring into mine. I held his gaze firmly, making him even more upset, which caused him to tower over me. "You do not scare me." I whispered to him. His face features derailed for a moment and showed me his true side for a split second before returning to his mask.  
I wanted to turn away, but he caught my chin and stared me in the eye for a few more seconds.  
"I'm warning you. Be careful. Next time I will not be able to control myself. "He murmured, stroking my bruises briefly, before he turned away, and shoved the bewildered Malik aside to slam his door shut with a firm bang.

That night I woke up again when I heard a faint creak. I rolled over onto my side and was facing the balcony.  
I yawned and rubbed my eyes. I opened my eyes, after I still heard the noice.  
I gasped for breath. Scared I was when I saw a large figure on the balcony. Clearly it was an assassin with a gleaming white robe and hood. He stared at me and just stood there motionless.  
For a few seconds I stood rooted to the bed, watching the motionless man. Then I jumped to my feet and walked carefully and probably braver than I was supposed to be in the situation to the man.  
"Who are you and what do you want here?" I asked, but the man did not answer.  
"How did you come up here?" He couldn't have come through the door. I had locked the door and I would have heard.  
Only a few meters separated us, when the man suddenly climbed on the railing and bailed as elegant as only an eagle could be.  
I cried out a little and ran to the edge. as fast as I could. That was at least 20 feet! He could not just jump down from there! Was he insane?!  
I searched everything below me with my eyes, but I found no man. Not even a wounded body or a corpse.  
Confused and doubting my own mind, I lit a candle and sat down on the bed. Cleary sleep wasn't an option.


End file.
